War

Question 1

war crimes
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Read examples of war crimes in the news by clicking here.

Answer 1

(n.)
Crimes committed against an enemy, prisoners of war, or subjects in wartime that violate international agreements or, as in the case of genocide, are offenses against humanity.

Derivatives
war criminal

Question 2

carpet bombing

_____________

“Carpet bombing” is often used in news articles. Check them out by clicking here.

Answer 2

(n.)

Carpet bombing is the large scale bombing of large targets, usually by dropping many unguided bombs. The tactic aims for complete destruction of a target region, either to destroy personnel and materiel, or as a means of demoralizing the enemy (Wikipedia)

Question 3

civil war
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“The American Civil War (1861 - 1865) remains the deadliest war in American history, resulting in the deaths of 620,000 soldiers and an undetermined number of civilian casualties. Ten percent of all Northern males 20-45 years of age died, as did 30 percent of all Southern white males aged 18-40. Victory for the North meant the end of the Confederacy and of slavery in the United States, and strengthened the role of the federal government. The social, political, economic and racial issues of the war decisively shaped the reconstruction era that lasted to 1877.” (Wikipedia)

Answer 3

(n.)
a war between, fellow citizens, political factions or regions within the same country

Word Origin
From “civil”, in a sense of “occurring among fellow citizens

Question 4

collateral damage /kuh-lat-er-uh l dam-ij/
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NATO Gen. Stanley McChrystal said on collateral damage, “We must avoid the trap of winning tactical victories – but suffering strategic defeats – by causing civilian casualties or excessive damage.”

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This was in reference to the US military strategy in the Middle East. Particularly during the first decade of this century, as allied bombardment increased in Afghanistan, backing for the U.S. mission there plummeted. By January 2009, 77 percent of Afghans called these airstrikes unacceptable, saying the risk to civilians outweighed the raids’ value in fighting insu rgents.

Answer 4

(n.)
the killing of civilians in a military attack
any damage incidental to an activity

Word Origin
Generally a euphemism for “the coincidental killing of civilians,” U.S. coinage, c.1968, at first generally with ref. to nuclear weapons. Today it is applied to all civilian deaths(or “casualties”) that arise as a result of a military attack or war

Question 5

friendly fire /frend-lee fahy-uh r/
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Here’s an article from Sky News:

Solider distraught at "**friendly fire**" error ... Details of a fatal mix-up that lead to an American warplane dropping a bomb that killed three British soldiers in Afghanistan have been spelled out to an inquest...

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The term can also be used in situat ions that are not related to war, and often appears in headlines as a pun. Check out this article:

"Facebook users under friendly fire"...Facebook's 'friend finder' tool draws criticism after investigation claims site transfers email contacts by address book importing

Here is an article on how war affects the words we use in our speech. You may find it an informative read.

Answer 5

(n.)
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one’s own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. (Wikipedia)

Question 6

Quisling /ˈkwɪzlɪŋ/

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he had the Quisling owner of the factory arrested

Answer 6

(n.)

a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying their country

Word Origin

Second World War: from the name of Major Vidkun Quisling (1887–1945), the Norwegian army officer and diplomat who ruled Norway on behalf of the German occupying forces (1940–45)